This is for the birds

Age : 69Location : From the prarie of KS. to Lake of the Ozarks, MO.Registration date : 2017-10-15

Subject: This is for the birds Wed Apr 25, 2018 9:40 pm

Yes, I'm a bird watcher. Two days ago I put out the hummingbird feeders and in the afternoon saw my first hummer of the year! Also saw an oriole at one of the feeders. Today I saw a rose-breasted grosbeak. The bluebirds have returned and are building their nest in my bluebird house. I guess springtime is here for good!

I'm also a birder, worked for Audubon in the past. And I've also noticed an unusual amount of birds this spring. I had a goldfinch, indigo bunting, cardinal, rose breasted, and nut hatch all lined up on the feeders the other day. Quite colorful. She Who Must Be Obeyed doesn't like me to keep the seed feeders on the porch filled too long in spring, too many bird droppings on the porch. So out come the hummingbird feeders, and I'll try moving the seed feeders over to the big oak across the drive.

I was eagerly awaiting the first swallow this spring, always a joyous moment.

And only yesterday the first swifts arrived. I love it when the swifts fledge and then fly in little squadrons, screeching as they tear up the streets. Quintessential England.

And the joy of the dawn chorus which currently starts up at about 0430. Interestingly there was an article in a recent Nat Geo that explained it's the larger eyed birds that start singing first, their larger eyes letting in more light and thus detecting sunrise ahead of the others.

Age : 69Location : From the prarie of KS. to Lake of the Ozarks, MO.Registration date : 2017-10-15

Subject: Re: This is for the birds Tue May 08, 2018 9:08 pm

scotties22 wrote:

If they were at the Lake on the 25th I'm late with my feeders! Been in a bit of a hole lately

Yeah, had the h'birds for about a week now. This morning I counted 5 of them! We have 4 feeders, 2 in the front yard, and 2 in the back. 3 other feeders in the back with one having thistle in it. The finches love it. The other 2 feeders have sunflower seeds. Also have a suet feeder on the deck and have a peanut feeder hung from the gutter. The woodpeckers love the peanuts. We have 4 different varieties of woodpeckers on our feeders!

If they were at the Lake on the 25th I'm late with my feeders! Been in a bit of a hole lately

Yeah, had the h'birds for about a week now. This morning I counted 5 of them! We have 4 feeders, 2 in the front yard, and 2 in the back. 3 other feeders in the back with one having thistle in it. The finches love it. The other 2 feeders have sunflower seeds. Also have a suet feeder on the deck and have a peanut feeder hung from the gutter. The woodpeckers love the peanuts. We have 4 different varieties of woodpeckers on our feeders!

My aunt lives not far from you on the Lake and she has 4 types of woodpeckers too. It's always fun to watch the Pileated woodpecker run all the others off the feeder

I like it when those Pileated Woodpeckers start jackhammering on some metal pieces on the houses around here. Maybe pieces of flashing? Anyway, it sounds like an alarm clock going off. Loud! You can hear it about a mile away.

Check this out...Flicker vs snake in tree...

Anyway...We call ‘em “Flickers” due to the way they look when flying through the woods...their wings covering and uncovering a white patch makes ‘em blink white on and off.

And for the Swift’s? We have Chimney Swifts. So cool to watch ‘em swarm and swirl around and around and then swoop down into the chimney. I mean CHIMNEY cause they use the old ones from kilns or factories...the BIG ones.

Lastly, we have a year round resident Ruby Throated Hummingbird family. I guess the winters in Western Oregon are mild enough that they don’t need to migrate.

I'm also a birder, worked for Audubon in the past. And I've also noticed an unusual amount of birds this spring. I had a goldfinch, indigo bunting, cardinal, rose breasted, and nut hatch all lined up on the feeders the other day. Quite colorful. She Who Must Be Obeyed doesn't like me to keep the seed feeders on the porch filled too long in spring, too many bird droppings on the porch. So out come the hummingbird feeders, and I'll try moving the seed feeders over to the big oak across the drive.

Natch

That must have been a sight. I'm a little jealous of you fellas and your bird variety. In my little corner of New England I see a lot of catbirds and downy woodpeckers, but I have seen some goldfinches about the neighborhood the past couple weeks. Good hummingbird population, too.

Wife and I got an oriole feeder last spring, the kind you put a half-orange or a spoonful of jelly into. Something ate the jelly, but it weren't the oriole.